title: Combined inhibition of autophagy and caspases fails to prevent developmental nurse cell death in the Drosophila melanogaster ovary.
abstract: During the final stages of Drosophila melanogaster oogenesis fifteen nurse cells, sister cells to the oocyte, degenerate as part of normal development. This process involves at least two cell death mechanisms, caspase-dependent cell death and autophagy, as indicated by apoptosis and autophagy markers. In addition, mutations affecting either caspases or autophagy partially reduce nurse cell removal, leaving behind end-stage egg chambers with persisting nurse cell nuclei. To determine whether apoptosis and autophagy work in parallel to degrade and remove these cells as is the case with salivary glands during pupariation, we generated mutants doubly affecting caspases and autophagy. We found no significant increase in either the number of late stage egg chambers containing persisting nuclei or in the number of persisting nuclei per egg chamber in the double mutants compared to single mutants. These findings suggest that there is another cell death mechanism functioning in the ovary to remove all nurse cell remnants from late stage egg chambers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jeanne S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McCall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001343:Autophagy / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000071189:Autophagy-Related Protein-1 Homolog; D020169:Caspases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D010053:Ovary / Q000166:cytology*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C111891:DIAP1 protein, Drosophila; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C104790:DOR protein, Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; C518074:Atg1 protein, Drosophila; D000071189:Autophagy-Related Protein-1 Homolog; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D020169:Caspases